Jagjit Singh

Jagjit Singh, born Jagmohan Singh Dhiman, was an Indian singer and composer widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in modern ghazal music. Trained in Hindustani classical traditions including khayal, dhrupad and thumri, he began his career at All India Radio before moving to Bombay to pursue music professionally, eventually becoming known as the man who brought ghazal to mainstream Indian audiences.

Singing both solo and in celebrated duets with his wife, Chitra Singh, Jagjit helped modernize the ghazal form by simplifying its poetic language and pairing it with accessible, melodic arrangements, making a traditionally elite art form popular with a much broader public. Songs such as «Hoshwalon Ko Khabar Kya», «Hothon Se Chhu Lo Tum», «Pyaar Ka Pehla Khat» and «Tum Ko Dekha To Yeh Khayal Aaya» remain touchstones of the genre, admired for his warm, emotive baritone and restrained, elegant phrasing.

His work spanned film soundtracks, private albums and collaborations with prominent Urdu and Hindi poets, and he is credited with reviving popular interest in ghazal at a time when the form was often overshadowed by Pakistani artists. He remains one of the most revered voices in the history of Indian light-classical and semi-classical music.